Click, bang, Thump.

Agreed, just doesn't look natural!

Would have to shoot

Definitely ground check him ! Congrats to the boy who got him.

I know my neighbor, he has tons of deer that make that one look like a dwarf, and without a doubt I would not shoot it. He's my neighbor. My kids wouldn't shoot it either.

I enjoyed reading all the comments. The natural instinct in me as a hunter would want to shoot,....but then, If I knew it was a pen raised ear tagged deer escaped from a neighbor's property....I'd probably pass on the shot and let the owner know his whereabouts (just to be neighborly) and ask what his intentions were for the escaped deer. But keep your posts coming. All good responses so far.

PS....I wonder if we have any TX lawyers in here on THF that could answer the question for harvesting this deer and what the liability would be as escaped property? Just asking.

Not mention I might be scared to eat the meat.
I mean what have they been feeding that thing?

Rack is so ugly I wouldn't put in a tool shed.

but if it was a native LF deer, and still looked the exact same, would you shoot it? eat it? and maybe even leave it in the garage? or would it still be too ugly?

I agree with MarkE.

I would never poopoo a kid. It does sadden me that many kids are being raised to think the kill/size is the accomplishment rather than the hunting experience. But, again, I would never say anything negative to anyone about their deer.

And I agree with your last sentence in part. Ego certainly drives the HF industry. It does not drive the opposition (I presume you are referring to/making the "jealousy" argument.) That is just what the HF supporters say so they can justify themselves. Or say because they think since ego drives them it must drive everyone else also.

Do they really ever get like that in the wild?

In this theoretical, am I hunting next to a toxic waste site or a nuclear plant?

have you ever seen grayson county deer? it produces deer like this every year. there are native LF deer like this killed everywhere.

First the facts. The kid knew he was shooting the neighbor's property. It didn't surprise him, he was actually targeting the deer for quite some time. Not accusing him of letting the animal loose, but he certainly didn't try to help the owner recover his/her property (and yes, you can relatively easily recover a deer like that).

So really it comes down to whether or not you are the guy/girl that, when you see someone drop $20,000 on their way out of the grocery store do you:

1. Alert the owner and let them pick up their money?
2. Sneak it into your own pocket and be proud of your "find".

Actually I'm kind of surprised at what a lot of responses say about a lot of folks on here.

I am not a lawyer and not an expert, but from my understanding, if the deer escapes the HF, it is free game.

There was one killed in Brownwood not too long ago. It was a monster and was known to have lived on the neighbors place. Nothing the "owner" could do about it.

it drives both sides. just like MarkE saying he wouldnt see it as an accomplishment because it was a pet, livestock, etc...it bothers "LF people" that some might look at this as an accomplishment, and really bothers them that some might see it as more of an accomplishment than their 125" LF trophy solely because it is bigger.

and i dont hunt HF, dont really like them myself, but its not hard to read between the lines when the "LF or HF" post shows up when a big deer is killed.

size of the deer's antlers shouldnt really factor into whether someone is a good hunter or not, but i think "LF people" feel the need to point it out to make sure.

and these are generalities, i know there are more reasons behing not liking HF's, the ecosystem, landowner rights, etc., but to me, there is no doubt "hunting ego" is the driving force.

Well, we will just agree to disagree.

Many hunter groups, hunter organizations, hunting publications etc. have long opposed HF. Way before it became the industry it is today. Based on fair chase grounds, conservation/habitat concerns, landowner rights, disease propagation, etc.

Many more are espousing vocal opposition today. I am certain that entire groups and publications who depend on hunter support do not voice their opposition lightly based on "ego/jealousy" grounds as it takes much courage and conviction for them to do so. And I am certain the many state legislatures who have banned them are not doing so based on ego/jealousy.

Yep. And in my analogy the person who dropped the $20,000 would have no winnable legal recourse unless they had recorded the serial numbers on their money.

But I still would pick it up and give it back to them. I wouldn't feel right taking their money. Even if I could "legally" get away with it.

I don't think it's exactly the same situation but that's certainly a valid way to look at it.

All depends on your viewpoint as to ownership. The states have adopted a "split the baby" approach-that it is basically your property unless you lose control of it. (That's not exactly technically correct but that's the practical effect as long as you play by the state's rules.)

Wow.

So "ego" drives the HF community. But it doesn't drive the LF community.

NP gets the "Don't worry about the speck in your brothers' eye, when there's a log in your own eye" award for the day.

See, and there I was trying to be nice.

Hey! I gave you an award! Be happy!

There is a difference between cash and deer, Once the deer are turned out to hunt they become the states property so when the deer gets loose it is fair game, I would hate to loose a $20k deer would make a person sick to loose 20k but if it got out of my HF property I would have to give the person who shot it a big ole high five for getting a deer of a lifetime..

Nah, not really. The kid knew who's property had been "dropped". If it was a $20,000 wedding ring that hadn't been documented, it would be the same "finder's keepers" situation as my earlier cash analogy.

The point is that in this situation the kid saw the "ring" hit the floor, and watched the old lady walk out of the store and picked it up and pocketed the ring. Then showed everyone the ring, and bragged that he'd just "found" it.

IMO just because it's "legal" isn't justification for not giving the property back to it's owner. IN EVERY SITUATION.

A lot of people here trying to justify their stance by declaring it "legal", when in fact it's more of a moral issue.

And I think it's a sad indictment of where we are today.

Explain how that is a deer of a lifetime?

All WT deer are property of the state/people ... nothing wrong with his actions at all .. if deer were considered livestock it would be different .. you cant trap someones livestock in a fence overnight and get away with it .. but you can whitetail /. which belong to the state .. huh? makes no sense does it..

How difficult would it be to try to capture the deer and return it? From my experience with transporting the "tamer" deer that are raised in pens, it is very stressful on the animal. Would it be more difficult trying to hunt them and capture them off the neighbors land?

If it was your deer that escaped, would you attempt a recovery?